Today is cloudy and warm.

I fed the birds.  I've seen several sparrows and house finches, a catbird, and a blackbird.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I put out the flats of pots and watered them.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I planted the 'Poquito' orange anise hyssop at the base of the barrel garden.  I figure the hummingbirds will like it, since I couldn't find a jumbo salvia this year.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I planted the iris 'Aureovariegata yellow' at the base of the barrel garden.  Its leaves are creamy green with wide yellow streaks.  :D

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I moved the 4 big smooth pots from the top of the new picnic table to the ground along the south bench.  This makes room for the remaining 3 fluted pots to be added later, and gives me 3 tiers of planting space on the side.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I filled a big fluted pot with half compost and half potting soil.  I planted a 'Chocolate Sprinkles' tomato in it.  These were a big favorite last year, so I bought 2 of them.  Regrettably I'm out of marigolds.  I may just use seeds in that one.  I put the pot on top of the new picnic table.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I potted up the second 'Chocolate Sprinkles' tomato the same way.

I've seen a male cardinal.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I potted up a 'Carmen' Italian sweet pepper in the last of the big fluted pots and put it on the picnic table.

I've seen a brown-headed cowbird.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I took several 'Ambrosia' melon plants that came in the same small pot, and put them in a much bigger pot which I moved to the new picnic table.  The fruit looks like a cantaloupe but is actually an exotic melon.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I took some pictures around the yard.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I sowed seeds for goldenberry and 'Aunt Molly's' ground cherry in large pots on the patio.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I planted coreopsis 'Permathread Red Satin' and yarrow 'Firefly Red Pop' below the barrel garden.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I planted a 'Husker Red' penstemon in the wildflower garden.  A spike of white flowers is blooming there, something I don't recognize, but very pretty.

The first purple-and-ivory iris is blooming in the wagonwheel garden.  The first two dark purple irises are blooming in the tulip bed.

I've seen two brown thrashers, a lady cardinal, the black-sided skunk, and a fox squirrel.

EDIT 5/14/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I watered the newly planted things.

I brought in the flats of pots, now down to 3 partial flats.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

These pictures are mostly from the prairie garden.

( Walk with me ... )

May is Garden for Wildlife Month. Here are some ways to celebrate it.

If you can do only one thing, plant an oak tree! They support over 2000 species of birds, insects, and other wildlife. There is some oak species suitable for most locales.

Let's go get our hands dirty!

( Read more... )

A friend mentioned wanting to attract beneficial insects, so I came up with this list of ideas.

The most popular with my pollinators are 'Autumn Joy' sedum, garlic chives, Shithouse Marigolds, and some version of mountain mint. Right now they're loving on the bergamot.

( Read more... )

Cicadas are hatching! I've seen a few hatch earlier, but this morning after the rain there are lots of them. The biggest concentration is around the forest garden and edges of the patio. :D These are red-eyed cicadas, technically periodical cicadas. Their carapaces are almost hard, their wings fully extended but still too soft to fly. It's a feast for everything that eats insects. Humans can eat them too. (I'm not planning to try that.) Usually what we get here are various types of the larger green cicadas, like the dog-day cicadas.

For maximum birdwatching benefits, keep an eye out on mornings after a rain. Once the nymphs shed their shells, they are soft and vulnerable. Many birds eagerly feast on them.

See also the poem "The Flying Jewels of Spring."

( Read more... )

Today was sunny earlier, now cloudy. It was supposed to rain heavily but has just been spitting occasionally.

We bought some more plants while out, and this time I scored some that I've been hunting: the chocolate cherry tomato, chives, and a columbine.

I fed the birds. I've seen several house finches and a brown-headed cowbird. I've heard a woodpecker but haven't seen it.

We raked a huge amount of grass, trying to get ahead of the rain. I think about 5 wheelbarrow loads.

EDIT 5/13/24 -- I planted a 'Chocolate Sprinkles' and a 'Watermelon Cherry' tomato in big pots, with 4 'Bonanza Mix' marigolds around each.

EDIT 5/13/24 -- I planted cilantro and curly parsley in a trough.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Today is mostly sunny and warm.

I haven't fed the birds yet, but I've seen a flock of house finches, a gray catbird, a grackle, and a male rose-breasted grosbeak at the hopper feeder. A mixed flock of grackles and robins has been foraging the short grass mowed yesterday.

EDIT 5/12/24 -- I planted 2 ruffled petunias, a white petunia, a 'Dusty Miller' artemesia, and 2 white alyssum in a pot on the patio.

EDIT 5/12/24 -- I cut the first 2 layers of sticks for the bottom of the second giant pot, similar to "Hugelkultur in a Pot," but this time I left gaps between the bottom sticks in hopes of saving time.

I've seen Nipple Squirrel.

EDIT 5/12/24 -- I cut the jumble layer for the giant pot. Another time-saving measure -- I used green shoots coming up from prior bushwhacking. They probably won't last as long, but were much quicker and easier to cut.

My partner Doug raked up 5 piles of grass that we need to move.

Weather is hotter, up to 80°F.

EDIT 5/12/24 -- I put the leaf layer in the giant pot, then carried it to the septic garden. The grass there was tall enough that I had to trim a section just to put the pot down. Then I discovered that the water tray I'd brought for it didn't fit, despite having measured carefully. >_< So I'll have to find a bigger one among the stack of flimsies that I have.

EDIT 5/12/24 -- We moved all 5 piles of grass to the grass wall.

EDIT 5/12/24 -- I found a flimsy water tray big enough to fit under the giant pot. And then I realized that the pot was nowhere near level. Argh. I pondered different solutions, and decided to dump a bucket of mulch on the low side. The pot now leans slightly in the other direction, but that's okay, because the soil is packed but the mulch isn't so will probably settle a bit. Close enough is good enough. I dumped in half a bag of compost, and was happy to see it came up to about the same level as the previous pot. Then I dumped in a whole bag of potting soil. So that's ready to plant. Yay. Yay.

EDIT 5/12/24 -- I planted a red cherry tomato and 4 assorted marigolds in the giant pot.  I still need to plant the Shithouse Marigold seeds around the rim.

I potted up 3 ice plants individually: one red, one yellow, one purple.

I saw a male indigo bunting in the hedge while I was planting the tomato.  :D  He kept squeaking at me very loudly, trying to make me go away.

EDIT 5/12/24 -- I watered plants.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

May wildlife gardening tasks typically involve middle to late phases of spring planting, depending on your locale. Keep birdfeeders out at least until spring migration ends. Birdwatching is excellent throughout the spring migration season. If you have birdhouses for particular species (like bluebirds) then keep a sharp eye for invasive species (like European house sparrows) so you can jettison unwanted nests as soon as possible.

( Read more... )

Today is mostly sunny, breezy, and mild.  It drizzled for about 2 minutes, so now the grass is wet.  :/

I fed the birds.  I've seen a flock of house finches, a pair of cardinals, a mourning dove, and Nipple Squirrel.

EDIT 5/9/24 -- The grass has dried out somewhat.  

I took some pictures of new flowers.  \o/  Peonies and irises are blooming.

I started trimming grass around the telephone pole garden.  Again.

There are columbines all over the tulip bed.  Last year, I tried sowing Partial Shade Wildflower Mix there, things sprouted, but nothing really took off and bloomed.  This year, I'm suddenly seeing things that probably came from there.  Same thing in the forest garden.  So, that mix wasn't the abject failure that I thought it was.

EDIT 5/9/24 -- I finished the initial trim around the garden.  Next I  have to redo the edging and weeding.  Again.  *sighhh*

But on the bright side, some of the recently planted lilies are sprouting!  :D

EDIT 5/9/24 -- I got the edging done on the east side of the garden.

EDIT 5/9/24 -- I got the edging done on the south and west sides of the garden.

EDIT 5/9/24 -- I finished the north edge and a very half-assed job of weeding the middle.  It's good enough for now.  Yay.  Yay.

Surprisingly I'm finding a few gladioli that wintered over and are now sprouting.  And one dill seedling.
 
EDIT 5/9/24 -- I planted 25 Deluxe Dutch Gladiolus Mixture in the telephone pole garden. \o/

I've seen a male indigo bunting at the fly-through feeder. :D They are such beautiful little birds, with complex songs.

EDIT 5/9/24 -- I took a few "after" pictures of the garden, along with some of the cloudy sky.

I planted a Mönch aster (blue) and a bridal veil aster (which honestly looks like white spirea) in the wildflower garden.

I watered the newly planted things.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night. *goflopnow*

Today is cloudy and mild.  It drizzled a bit last night, and the grass is still soaked.

I fed the birds.  I've seen several house finches and sparrows, along with a fox squirrel.
 
EDIT 5/6/24 -- I planted 4 red salvia in the barrel garden for the hummingbirds.  It's really just a jumble of hot-colored plants crammed together.  I do try to mix up the growth habits, so there are trailing plants (wave petunia, million bells, etc.) and marigolds around the edges with taller ones (snapdragons, lantana, etc.) in the middle.  Morning glory grows in the space closest to the shepherd's hook.

EDIT 5/6/24 -- I planted 8 moss rose in the goddess garden, and realized that I should've bought 12, so there are gaps at the back.  I am better at gardening than math.  Eh, I can get more later, I usually pot some anyhow.

I heard a squirrel chattering ioverhead in the forest yard, then looked up to see it scampering about in the trees.  My yard has a high degree of connectivity in the canopy.  A squirrel could get to most places without needing to touch ground.

The air is warm and muggy.  :P

EDIT 5/6/24 -- I managed to get a 'Dusty Miller' artemesia, a white petunia, and a fuchsia wave petunia planted in one of the two white owl pots.  Then it started drizzling again, so I had to come inside.  :/

EDIT 5/6/24 -- It stopped drizzling, so I planted the other owl pot the same way.
 
EDIT 5/6/24 -- I planted two more pots of 'Dusty Miller' and petunias.

Both honeybees and bumblebees are enjoying my flowers.  :D  I saw the bumblebee at the bergamot.  Can't say I blame her, I've been picking off flowers to eat every time I go by.

I've seen a mourning dove and a male house finch at the fly-through feeder.

EDIT 5/6/24 -- I planted the last 2 wave petunias (red) and 2 white ones in the log garden under the mulberry tree.

EDIT 5/6/24 -- I sowed bee lawn mix in the bare patch by the flower gardens and moonflower seeds in the barrel garden.

EDIT 5/6/24 -- I watered the plants and seeds that I put out earlier today.

My bats are active!  :D  I saw one swooping along the driveway.  They love doing that because it's a clear line of flight under the trees.  The air was full of tiny bugs today; something gnatlike must have hatched.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.